Abstract
Some naturalists feel an affinity with some religions, or with a particular religion. They may have previously belonged to it, and/or been raised in it, and/or be close to people who belong to it, and/or simply feel attracted to its practices, texts and traditions. This raises the question of whether and to what extent a naturalist can lead the life of a religious believer. The sparse literature on this topic focuses on (a position recognizable as) religious fictionalism. I also frame the debate in these terms. I ask what religious fictionalism might amount to, reject some possible versions of it and endorse a different one. I then examine the existing proposals, by Robin Le Poidevin, Peter Lipton, Andrew Eshleman and Howard Wettstein, and show that even on my version of religious fictionalism, much of what has been described by these authors is still possible.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 195-214 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | International Journal for Philosophy of Religion |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 Oct 24 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Philosophy
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Religion for naturalists. / Deng, Natalja.
In: International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Vol. 78, No. 2, 24.10.2015, p. 195-214.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Religion for naturalists
AU - Deng, Natalja
PY - 2015/10/24
Y1 - 2015/10/24
N2 - Some naturalists feel an affinity with some religions, or with a particular religion. They may have previously belonged to it, and/or been raised in it, and/or be close to people who belong to it, and/or simply feel attracted to its practices, texts and traditions. This raises the question of whether and to what extent a naturalist can lead the life of a religious believer. The sparse literature on this topic focuses on (a position recognizable as) religious fictionalism. I also frame the debate in these terms. I ask what religious fictionalism might amount to, reject some possible versions of it and endorse a different one. I then examine the existing proposals, by Robin Le Poidevin, Peter Lipton, Andrew Eshleman and Howard Wettstein, and show that even on my version of religious fictionalism, much of what has been described by these authors is still possible.
AB - Some naturalists feel an affinity with some religions, or with a particular religion. They may have previously belonged to it, and/or been raised in it, and/or be close to people who belong to it, and/or simply feel attracted to its practices, texts and traditions. This raises the question of whether and to what extent a naturalist can lead the life of a religious believer. The sparse literature on this topic focuses on (a position recognizable as) religious fictionalism. I also frame the debate in these terms. I ask what religious fictionalism might amount to, reject some possible versions of it and endorse a different one. I then examine the existing proposals, by Robin Le Poidevin, Peter Lipton, Andrew Eshleman and Howard Wettstein, and show that even on my version of religious fictionalism, much of what has been described by these authors is still possible.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84942193816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11153-015-9529-y
DO - 10.1007/s11153-015-9529-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84942193816
VL - 78
SP - 195
EP - 214
JO - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
JF - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
SN - 0020-7047
IS - 2
ER -